Be Prepared!

     After enjoying a nice, light breakfast consisting of a scoop of oatmeal drizzled with agave nectar, organic of course, and some cinnamon, I button up my dress shirt; tuck it in my slacks; fasten my belt; knot up my tie; and fasten on that name tag.  It's very typical that every missionary do the same (except for the breakfast).  Routinely going about, conducting such a ritual, I was reminded of a verse in Paul's epistle to the Ephesians.  In chapter 6, it mentions how the church members in the Ephesus are to protect themselves from the woes of the world by putting on some protective items of clothing (reworded for easier understanding).

• Underpants of truth (Ephesians 6:14)
• Breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:14)
• Sandals of the gospel (Ephesians 6:15)
• Shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16)
• Helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17)
• Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17)

     With these pieces of clothing-- and some tools-- God had instructed Paul to instruct these church members with such preparation so that no evil can prevail against them.  While these things are worn, it gives a great promise that one's "utterance may be given that I (not just Paul, but us all) may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel" (Ephesians 6:19).  The fiery darts cannot penetrate your being as you have on God's armor.

     Clipping the nametag in place, it dawned on me that I needed to consider these things that are in my spiritual wardrobe.  Sure, I have a weapon in there, but it's there to pierce the soul to the convincing and undeniable evidence that Jesus is the Christ.

Nothing more.

• We need to wax strong in virtue as it girds our loins.
• We need to let our light shine from our bosoms.
• We need to walk the gospel path-- the path Jesus and His disciples walked.
• We need to block evil and persecution with the faith and testimony in which we possess.
• We need to constantly know and treasure up in our minds that salvation cometh through the Holy Messiah.
• We need to strike others so that they may know the truths in which we believe through the power of the Holy Ghost.

     For us all, Satan lurks in every corner and evil lies in wait-- wanting an opportunity to pounce on you, taking you over so that you can no longer return to God.  A motley crew of attire lies in wait, waiting to be used so that you can defend yourself from his minions it is your 1 Thessalonians 5:22.  Don't think much of the adversity-- just know that you'll be okay if you have everything on while you do your thing.

"Treat Your Mother Right"

     Mother's day is coming up.  This means these next 2 days, men everywhere will be flocking to Hallmarks and grocery stores everywhere to grab what remaining flowers and sentimental cards there are.  For good reason, there's something extremely thankful for as we celebrate this day of maternal gratitude.

     In the minds of many adolescents and even a few adults (sadly), they believe that a mother plays a very restricted role in the play that is family life.  The common misconception that many believe the mother does in the household are this:

• Make [the male household inhabitants] popular lunch foods consisting of deli meats and vegetables enclosed with two slices of white bread
• Relegate themselves to menial chores around the house at the whim of the husband
• Make a living hell out of looking after [a few] kids
• Emphasize the inferiority of the female race as a caretaker of children rather than a successful woman out and about winning the bread for the family
• Inhuman items of display fettered to the household, waiting to be fed while the man of the household exhibits such "object" to guests and acquaintances, waiting for praise and accomplishment

     It sounds very far-fetched, but believe it or not, many people still hold these notions true-- that mothers who stay at home to take care of the kids are in a very, very low position in the household ranks.  While many women had thought the same thing-- that motherhood is a burden rather than a blessing-- they have taken themselves the liberty to go out and work until they've become the successful businesswomen that they've become, but reach an age where child-rearing and family relationships aren't really options anymore.



If Jesus didn't have Mary in His life, I doubt He would have

become the person He turned out to be-- God probably knew

that a long time ago.

     Feminism, especially its influence in the role of the mother, has become a greater and greater part of my life.  I think after I joined the Church, I've become more devoted to the cause of such.  It may not be necessarily in the way that Ellen Willis or Kate Chopin envisioned feminism, but I feel as if women aren't given enough credit in life.  Women are amazing people capable of touching the hearts of all people, both men and other women.  It seems like empathy and sympathy are in their nature; they know when people need what and why.  Sad to say, us men are very tunnel-visioned beings.  We like to think inside the box most of the times and it frustrates a lot of people.  If we're told to do something, we go from point A to point B.  No exceptions.  Mission accomplished.  Women, on the other hand, don't go from point A to point B, but hit points C-Z and then B-- this way, the person giving the instruction doesn't have to give any more instruction to the woman while the instructor has to tell the man at least 25 more times to get all the way to point Z.

     Women are initiative-driven people, independent of a higher plane of thought than men and I think this is so direly important in the roles that they play in the household.  Bestowed with such a gift, they are of the two, the most capable of rearing a child-- a man can definitely raise a child well, but it's the women who go above and beyond to have that child succeed.  A herculean task in and of itself-- a job harder than any other job that one can do-- it is up to the woman to do such.  There's no one better who can nurture, teach, care, and love a child as well as a mother.  In a family though, father = mother.

“There is no limit to what a mother can accomplish. Righteous women have changed the course of history and will continue to do so.” -Julie B. Beck

     This coming Mother's day, love your mother; you really love her.  To all of us.  If the world didn't have any of them, how wayward a great big portion of us would be!  Because of them, sacrificing their time, talent, and sanity, we are who we are.  Seriously.  Mothers-- women-- are so amazing that it kind of confuses me how much more superior they are to men (in terms of everything practical-- when it comes to manly-man stuff, like wrestling bears and chopping down large oak trees, there may be some contention).  Remember that in most cases, it'll be the mother who will know when you need your space and it'll be the mother who will know when you'll need a comic book and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich whenever you're feeling blue.  Jesus' mother raised Him right.  Imagine if Joseph had to raise Jesus.

Save our Ship!

     From a less-than-regional-wide church meeting some many Sundays ago, this anecdote stuck out to me as I pondered my purpose as a missionary:

     A nighttime tempest raging in the high seas, the winds and waves dancing together in furious passion, a time-tested tugboat lay in its midst.  Helpless to the whim of nature, the captain of a crew of 15 radios the coast guard and the navy-- a desperate SOS. 

Mayday

     Received, the nearest coast guard ship hears of the distress.  Some guardsmen respond with urgency and selflessness, willing to risk their own lives in the peril of the storm to save these boatsmen.  The ship captain responds to these acts of valor with a denial of request-- a plan of sorts has to be mapped out before saving these souls.  The storm still raging, the coast guardsmen radio the nearest naval detachment for more instruction.  Told to wait until they have a sound plan for a rescue, the guardsmen obey, the tugboat deteriorating.
     Delayed due to complications and no sound plan, the rescue is not executed until late dawn the following day.  The storm quelled, the search and rescue team heads out to find what is left of the tugboat crew.  At the coordinates of the SOS, the team sees the remains of what was the tugboat,  now just floating debris of aluminum.  Of the sixteen, not a single one was found, even around a 2-mile radius.  The coast guardsmen put off the rescue until it was too late.

     What we can learn from this is that sudden tempestuous situations can hit us at any time.  Salvation may be just a [few miles] away.  However, we cannot delay the salvation of others, as they look up for help and understanding.  The time will pass and these souls will be lost.  As every soul is precious in the eyes of God, there cannot be an opportunity passed where these people may be saved.

No News is Good News

     Approaching each and every doorstep with a dark tan messenger bag at the shoulder, the arm extended and the hand rose up, clenching a fist, lightly rapping the door.  With each raise, the hand had become heavier and heavier.  It was quivering toward the end of each day, wondering if it would want to be raised again.  The words of many behind each door had penetrated the center of where that hand come from-- the acerbity of each voice-- Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese-- had wounded the soul inasmuch so that it was harder and harder for the hand to do what it did.  The time had gone by, but the wounds of the words still remained.  Many more piercing prose, ripping open each and every sutured scar.

     The mundaneness of knocking door after door can test the resolve of any missionary resorted to such a task, but I honestly see it as a fun way to find people to teach.  Rejection comes at every corner, but that can easily be brushed off.  Many times, the people may not be Korean or may not even be at home.  As stressful as it is, I still enjoyed knocking-- you meet a ton of interesting people and perhaps you can even teach a couple of things about your church to them!

안녕하세요!

     Lately, though, I've been very weary of knocking doors.  It isn't because of the rejection and it isn't about the lack of Korean people.  Rather, it was the people who listened to us-- the people who were willing to care for what we had to say.  Precisely these people have made me not want to knock on doors.  The people who were willing to hear us out-- the majority of them had disclosed to us that they were either diagnosed or didn't have much time left due to a terminal illness.  On top of that, these people living in the city of Garden Grove, aren't the most well-off people in the world.  These are relatively young people; they still had their lives to live, but that skeletal hand had reached for those shears, soon to break their threads.

     Each time my companion and I plan on going door to door, I hear myself say "no more."  My mind and my physical self was ready to go out and preach, but my heart was sore; it pleaded that I don't open those sutures that I've worked so hard to sew.  "Anything but talking to those people."  It seriously wasn't easy for me to do go out and work-- there was a trail of tears leaving each doorstep whenever I did.

     Midst such, there's still a fire burning-- as much as I don't want to go door-to-door fearing such people may make themselves known unto us, there's a reason why such people were placed there.  Sure, it may just be coincidence, but this coincidence can lead to a blessing beyond imagination.  These people need what we have.  The very essence of what we teach is about reassurance.  Sure, it's sad to hear such, but recently, I've discovered that the help we can provide is even greater than the trials these people have to go through.  The gospel isn't called "good news" for nothing.  I can tell you now that stepping out of that apartment door, I have this in mind, desiring that people can find solace.  It's not an easy task, seeing so much suffering, but through each suffering soul is reason to rejoice.